The Problem Of Evil Flashcards Preview

What is the main outline of the problem of evil?

How can an all loving, all powerful god allow evil and suffering to exist?

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Who raised this problem?

EpicurusGreek philosopherHe argued that god created the world ex nihilo and He’s all loving, all powerful, why did it go wrong?

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What are the two types of POE?

LogicalEvidential

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What is the logical POE?

The inconsistent triad

Omnipotent, omnibenevolent, evil existsAny two can be true but the third one can’t be

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Who looked at the inconsistent triad?

JL MackieAn atheist who decided you can’t overcome it so god can’t exists with those qualities

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What is the evidential problem of evil?

The argument from personal experience We experience evil and suffering Why does god allow it?

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Why would god allow evil and suffering?

Allows us to develop virtues, makes us better people, we can get to heavenA test of faith, earn our place in heaven, jobFree willFor god to be perfect evil has to existOnly appreciate and understand good if you experience bad

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What is a theodicy?

The vindication of divine providence in view of the existence of evil.Excuses for godSolves problem of evil

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What is soul-deciding?

Humans have the choice to turn back to god, through the salvation of Jesus.How you respond to evil

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What is soul-making?

Where the soul is developing towards spiritual perfection by gaining wisdom to make moral choices.

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What is eschatological justification?

A proposition which can be verified after death. Eg there is an afterlife.It’s verifiable if true but not falsifiable if untrue because the individual would have no state of being

Evil and suffering being justified by the eventual outcome

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What is Augustine’s theodicy?

God created a perfect world. He didn’t create a world with evil. Evil is not a thing (because he would have to have made it) it is a privation, a lack of goodness.Moral evil entered the world with human free will. Adam and Eve eating from the tree of knowledge, this disobedience created original sinOriginal sin was passed down seminally from AdamNatural evil is present because of angels having differing amounts of free will, falling out and creating disorder in the world

Even though it wasn’t his fault, as a benevolent god he sent his son for us to be forgiven. A soul-deciding theodicy

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Strengths of Augustine’s theodicy?

Covers both types of evil and fits with biblical teachings, good for theistsOur experience fits with his view of human choices causing suffering A logical approach to think of evil being caused by free will

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Weaknesses of Augustine’s theodicy?

Not fair to blame a new generation for the sins of the previous one. No proof that sin is genetically inheritedWhy did god give angels different amounts of free will, didn’t he know it would cause problems?How could god’s supposedly perfect world go wrong?We don’t really have free will because it’s all god’s choices in the world, evil and suffering is god’s fault

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What is the irenaean theodicy?

Irenaeus argued god deliberately put evil and suffering in the world.

2 stages of creationHe created us in his imageWe develop into his likeness

Evil and suffering create second order goods like courage, kindness, bravery, these virtues develop our souls so we can go to heavenStill believed in hell for sinners who didn’t choose to developSoul-making theodicy

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How did John Hick develop irenaeus’ ideas?

Hick believed there wasn’t hell, if you die before your soul becomes fully good you can carry on developing in the afterlifeThis makes Hick a universalist He creates a counter factual hypothesis- what would a world be like if there was no evil? You wouldn’t have enough experience or challenge to make you the best person you can be

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What is dystelogical evil?

Evil with no pointHick recognises this

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Strengths of irenaeus’ theodicy?

Works for all people as you can see we learn from disasters- boat design after the titanicOptimistic as argues everyone can be better and go to heavenFits with scientific ideas of evolution and developing into humans, developing into a fully good personHick is a universalist so everyone gets to heaven, fits with a benevolent god

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Weaknesses of irenaeus’ theodicy?

Surely an all loving, all powerful being can help us develop through better ways than sufferingDystelogical evil has no point eg parasitic waspHicks idea of everyone in heaven isn’t justice, bad must be punishedIf we all need to develop why do some people suffer more than others? Children?

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JL mackie’s view?

You can’t get over the POE unless you weaken the definition of omnipotence.Us having free will requires god to give up some powerTo live on the world requires god to stick to laws he created otherwise the world would keep changing